Cotton-recleaning machine



Nov. 6, 1928.

' 1,690,375 J. E. MITCHELL ET AL COTTON REGLEANING MACHINE Filed Sept. 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 6, 1928.

J. E. MITCHELL ET AL COTTON RECLEANING MACHINE Filed Sept. 15, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 ,3 55 24 23- N If! Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED! STATES;

PATENT OFFICE- JOHN E. MITCHELL AND DENNIS PARKS, or so, LOUIS, MISSOURI,

(BOTTOM-REMAINING MACHINE,

Application filed September This invention relates to novel apparatus focuses in reclaiming cotton from the product discharged from a battery of cotton cleaning,

or :boll extracting, machines.

The cotton .cleaninglmaohfne for which vurious patents have heretofore bee sc e to us, both individually. and jointly, operates, in practice. to extract all but a very small percentage of the cotton, and the small percentage that escapes with the hulls 13, 01." the mostpart, an inierior kind of cotton made up, usually, of hard one-seed locks. Former- 1y, it was considered desira g t rid of mostof this cottomhut it has been found that if the locks are suitably opened up so that the saws can engage the cotton, the latter can be easily reclaimed, and while not of the value of the best grade of cotton, it is, by no means, a ninferior product and is Well Worth saving, especially in a large gin plant Wherethe quantity of such cotton discharged wlth the hulls would be considerable in the course of a days run.

In Patent- No. 1,182,198, granted to us May 9th, 1916, there is described t method of recovering cotton from hulls discharged irom a battery of machines. Thls method, briefly, consists in conveying the hullsrf rom a plurality of machines into a s ngle recleaning machine, for the purpose of taking out any cotton that may be in the hulls, and then continuously returning the reclaimed cotton back to the gin. This process, when upphed to reclaiming cotton under present condit ons has two pronounced disadvantages: First, it is entirely inadequate in ca pec ty to cope w th the large amount of :hulls discharged from a battery of four, five, or Sl-X of our boll extractors. Since the udvent of thQ tton cleaning or boll extracting mochlnc, and especially during the past four or five you-rs, the cotton brought to the gin plants has been n; oreasingly mixedwith hulls, sticks, and other foreign matter, in addition to unopened bolls. This is probably due to the fact that pickers .and others handling the cotton have learned that such trashy cottoncan be easily bundled with the use ofcleaning machines, which are now generally employed on the gins, and

hence they are not as careful as formerly to 15 1925. serial N0. 56 437.

0nd, in the recleaning method of the patent.

referred to, no preparatory treatment is given the small hard locks of cotton that escape with the hulls before they are brought into contact wlth the saw cylinder of the recleaning machine. This makes it Very difiicult for the saw cylinder of such machine to extract these hard locks, for the reason that they are likely to bounce off the teeth ofthe saw in the recleaning machine just as they bounce off the teeth of the saw in the main battery of machines.

'lhe present invention has for its general obycct, therefore, to provide a recleaning mach ne which will be capable of permitting a large quantity of bulls and trash to pass through the some, and Which at the same time, Wlll offer sufficient means for obstructing the passage ofcotton or looks of cotton, by causing the same to impinge upon the saw teeth of one or more saw cylinders, whereby the cotton will be withdrawn by the saws and recovered in the ordinary manner, H i i I A further general object ofthe invention is to provide means which willoperate, in passing the mixedcotton and hulls from the moi-I1 A furtherobject of the invention relates to the provision of rccleaning mechanism essoeluted with the doflercylinder which removes the cotton from the saw cylinders, whereby said dofler will operate to dofi thc reclaimed cotton from the sow cylinders,to discharge the some into n recleaning system, and to remove or dofi the cotton fronrthe saw cylinder ofthe recleening system and discharge it from the machine.

A ifinal object of the invention relates to the provision of novel means for remoying hulls from the rccleaningpart of the machine and C us g h sis is th min body of hulls propelled through the machine by air and substantially sealing the outlet tor hulls from the recleaning system against entrance ofair.

Other objects relate to various details of construction and to novel combinations and arrangements of parts whereby the broad ob jects of the inventionare attained.

\V'th the above general objects in view, the invention consists in the provision of apparatus in the operation of which the mixed cot ton and hulls are continuously drawn by suction from the main battery of boll extractors or cleaners and passed through the fan casing of the fan producing the suction, and are discharged by this fun into contact with one or more saw cylinders, which take thecotton out of the mixture and allow thehulls to be discharged with the air. Lacn saw cylinder inthe recleaning machine, ii. more than one is provided, isso positioned that lb will rotate in the discharge trunk of the fan against the discharge Therefore, all locks of cotton which are thrown by the fan or the blast of a "against the saw cylinder stick fast onto the; teeth of the same and are then carried around out of the air trunk into profs imity to a rotating dofi'er, by which it is dotted oil and discharged into a recleaning system, of which the doiler is also a part. The hulls, on the other hand, driven by the fan with great velocity against the teeth of the saw cylinder, bounce oil' of the same and pass out through the air trunk with the air.

The invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawing,-in which Figure 1 is a plan view, more or less diagrammatic, illustrating in outline a battery of boll extractors, and the means for conveying the hulls, and cotton mixed therewith, discharged therefromto a recleaning machine, and for returning the cotton recovered in the recleaning machine back tothe boll ext-ractors;

, Figure 2 is a central, vertical, sectional View on an enlarged scalco'f the rec-leaning machine;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View of the same on the line 33 of Figure 2;

t Figure 4 is a view in front elevation;

Figure 5 is a broken sectional view illustrating a part of one of the saw cylinders of the recleaning machine, andof the doii'cr cylinder (Io-operating therewith; and

Figure 6 is alongitudinal sectional view of aportion of the saw cylinder to show the arrangement of the saws thereon.

Referring 'now to the drawings,the numerals 1, 2, 3, and 1 indicate four boll extractors or cotton cleaning machines,which are supplied with the cotton to be cleaned through a feed pipe Leading from the hull discharge of 'eachof the boll extractors a length of pipe 6, the pipes 6 communicating with acommon'discharge pipe T,'centrally of which is located a pipe 8, which communicates with the suction side of a fan casing 9, in which is located a fan (not shown). which is driven by a belt 10 and pulley '11. Extending from the outlet 0 t' the fan casing!) is a pipe 12 which communicates with one end of a recleaning machine 13, to be later described. Fron'ithe recleaning machine, a pipe 14, leads to a suitable place of deposit for the recleaned cotton.

ieterrmg now to F igures 2 and 4, the recleaning machine comprises a casing 15 within which is located two saw cylinders 16 and 17 and a doll'cr cylinder 18, common to the two saw cylinders. I provide at. the top of; the casing 15 a passage through which the mixed bulls and cottoufrom the pipe 12 are blown or discharged by the fan in the casing 9, and in such manner as to come into contact. with the saw cylinders 16 and 17. l v

This pasage or air trunk isiin the form of a sheet met-al'conduit 19 which, at its outer ends,

depends downwardly, as iiulicated at 19" and 1.9", respectively. The leg or extension 19 communicates at its lower end with the discharge pipe 12 from the fan casing 9, and from this point to-the line of connection with the part 19, is flared outwardly tothe width of the casing 15 and of said part 19 of the conduit, which is substantially also the width of the saw cylinder 16. The saws 16 and 17 work through openings provided in the bottom 2O 01 the conduitw19, and the edge portions of said bottom 20 adjacent to said saw cylinders are upwardly curved and iositioned in close proximity to the surface 0 said saw' llln Ill]

able base :25 having a handle 26 to facilitate H the removal of the section. This is done in case the conduit 19 should become choked, or when, for any reason, access to the saws 16 and'l'r' is'des' able.

Between the saw cylinders 16 and 17, the bottom of the conduit 19 is formed by a sheet metal section 520, which extends substantially parallel with the removable section 2+1 of the top, and has its ends located in close proximity to the surfaces of the saw cylinders, its end adjacent to the saw cylinder 17 affording the upwardly curved portion 21, previously referred to. The bottom section 2.0 is located directly over the doll'er cylinder 18. Beyond the saw cylinder 17, the conduit 19 extends downwardly and connnunicates with the upper end of-the depending leg or extension 19" of said conduit at the upper end of the latter.

till

nee s-'15 From this point, the leg or extension 19 is gradually narrowed, and at its lower end, is provided with an outlet opening, in which is secured one end of a pipe 28 which leads to the dump. 1

, The shape or disposition of the'conduit 19 is an important feature of the invention, more particularly as respects the configuration of the upper wall thereof and the flared portions 19* and 19 If the upper wall were straight, it would have to be positioned close enough to the saws to make all of the cotton locks impinge upon the saw teeth, and this would result in preventing thefree discharge of the bulls. On the other hand, if such a wall were located far enough away from the saw cylinders to permit the free discharge of the hulls, it would also permit a large proportion of the cotton to go through without coming in contact with the teeth of the saws. To insure the contact of the cotton with thesaw cylinders while permittinglthe free passage through the conduit of thehulls, it becomes necessary to provide for a change in direction of the path of the materialat the point where it impinges upon the saw cylinders, so that while the material is forced by the shape of y the conduit into direct contact with the saw cylinders, permitting the cotton to be erugaged thereby, the hulls may simply bounce off, or have their direction oi movement slightly changed, without materially impeding the movement thereof. By an inspection ofFigure 2, it will be seen that the upper wall of the conduit at the rightiof the first saw cylinder, iil continued, would cut through theperiphcry of such cylinder; and. that the upper wall of the conduit immediately beyond the first saw cylinder, say, at the beginning of the curved section 24, if continued, would cut through the periphery of the second saw cylinder. Thus, the upper wall of the conduit 19provides two portions extending tangentially to the res mctive saw cylinders, while opposite the working face of each saw cylinder, this Wall is formed substantially concentric with the surface thereof, providing ample space for the passage past the saw cylinders of the hulls. In effect, therefore, the portions of the conduit tangential to the saw cylinders act as deflectors to direct the material against the saw cylinders. The flare in the depending extension 19 of the conduit or air trunlr 19 between the fan and the first saw cylinder 18 essential in order to cause the product coming from the fan to spread out and be distributed cvenlv over the length of the saw cylinder.

It will be observed that the saw cylinders are so disposed in the air trunk 19 that less than one-half of the periphery of each saw cylinder extends through the wall of said air trunk. This featurqcoupled with theupward curve ofthebot-tom of the conduit adjacent each saw cylinder, insures that the material propelled throughthe conduit will have substantially tangential lines of contact with thesaw cylinder, witlr'th'e result that the hullsean' engage and bounce off the saw cylinders without having theirmovcm'ent seriously impeded by the contact, and there is less tends ency of the teeth. oi the saws to engage the build and grind them up or carry them out of thecond ui t;

Thesarw cylinders 16 and I'Tmay be of any preferred construction, but, asshown byF-ig ures 5 and 6, they are prefcrzibly nladeb securing" strips at intervals around a 03 1 i'nder 30, said'stripshaving their edges upturned at right angles and provided with saw teeth3l, the strips being secured to the cylinder as by screws passed through the straps and screwed into the body oi'the cyl- 1n er:

V The doifer1'8may be conveniently formed by securing at suitable intervalslengthwise of a cylinder 33, as by means of serewsBd, L-shap'edstrips 35-, the foot 36 of each of which is adapted totra vclin close proximity to the surface-of the teeth 31 of thethree saw cylinders; I V

The machine as thus far described willopcrate-satisfactorily as a cotton reclaiming machine, so that the greater portion of the cot torr mixed with the hulls treated-by the machine will be recovered. A machine so constructed forms the basis'of a method'ap'plication filed of even date herewith. l lnasmuch, however, as with slight adeliti-ons and at very little" additional cost, we

can also provide for a further recleaningof the cot-ton recovered by the machine, we find it diesi-rable to embody such features With the elements of the cotton reclaiming; machine above described. v

With this object in viewQwe mount adjacent to the dofi'er 18 a recleaning saw cylinder' 37 with which cooperates akicker roller 38 and" hull boards 39 in the Way well known-in [cotton cleaning machines, and forming the-subject matterof numerous prior patents granted to the present inventors, individually and jointly. The doffer cylinder 18 rotates in sui'lieiently closep'roximity to the surface of the reclean-ing saw cylinder3't as to be capable of dofiing the cotton from said 7 saw cylinder. The recl'eaning mcmbersre ferred to are housed in the casing 15 on the underside ot" the conduit iVith this arrangement, the-cotton extracted by the saws the doi'lcr. The dofi'er cylinder 18 thus serves the triple function of dotting the cotton from the saw cylinder, or saw cylinders, in the air trunk, of throwing such cotton into the recleaning working chamber below the air trunk,jtand of dofiing it again from the recleaning saw cylinder. A guard 40 is located over the kicker roller 38 to insure that the cotton and hulls from the dotfer will be thrown over and fall uponthe hull boards 39. A space 41 is provided between the lower end of the upper hull board and the upper end of the lower hull board topermit pieces of hulls to be thrown out by engagement with the saw cylinder 37..

A final important feature of the invention is the provision of means for discharging the bulls passing through the space between the lower hull board 39 and the saw cylinder 37 so that they will join the main body of hulls passing through the conduit 19. To this end, I (provide below the endof the lower hull board a trough 42 in which I locate a duplex worm conveyor 43, the threads of the worm being wound oppositely from the ends of the conveyor to the center, as indicated by the numerals 44 and 4:5, (Figure3) and opposite the center of this worm conveyor, I provide an outlet duct 46 opening into the downward extension 19" of the air trunk 19, and which is closed by a swinging trap door 47 which is located opposite a discharge opening 48 from the air trunk 19"; The trap; door 47 normally closes the duct 46, but as soon as the duct becomes full of the hulls, they press the door open andescape into the air trunk 19", and themselves provide a sufiicient stoppage, in conjunction with the door 47, to preventair passing'through the conduit 19 and the extension 19 thereof from passing back through the duct 46 and up in the machine.

Any preferred means fordriving the variousirotating members of the machinemay be employed, and inrFigure 1, I have shown a pulley 49 mounted on one end ofv theshaft 50 (Figure 2) of the dofifer cylinderils, a belt 51 for driving said pulley, and a series of intermeshing gears 52 on the various shafts of the other rotating membersvdriven from a gear on the shaft 50. Such driving mechanism being well known, it is not further illustrated in the enlarged views, and it only remains to be stated that the gears are so arrangedas to produce rotation of the parts in the directions indicated by the arrows in Figure-2. a

From the above description, it will be seen that the hulls, cotton locks and particles escaping from the boll extractors 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be drawnbysuction through the pipe 8. intothefan casing 9, and thence be dis.- charged athigh velocity into theconduit 19, andthat whilethe hulls can passalmost uninterruptedly through, said conduit to the discharge pipe'28,the cotton locks and particlcs will be directed by the top portion 22 of said conduit directly into engagement with the surfaces of the saw cylinders 16and 17 which move clockwise, or in a direction opposite to that of the hulls and cotton. The saw teeth 31will readily engage any cotton or cotton locks which are caused to impinge upon them, and will carry-the same beneath the edges 21 of thebottom QOof the conduit, whence they will be disengaged from the teeth of the saws bythe action of the dotl'er cylinder 18, which :acts to throw the cotton into the rccleaning system, whence the cotton will be dolled from the saw cylinder 37 and discharged through the pipe, 14' by the dofi'er 18. From the pipe 14, the cotton may be either-returned to the feed pipe 5 to be delivered to the boll extractors with the main body of cotton, or temporarily dumped on the floor of the gin, and subsequently and separately cleaned. Upon entering the fan casing 9, the hulls and cotton locks will, of course, be engaged by the blades of the rapidly revolving fan within said casing, with the result that the cotton locks mixed with said hulls will be flulfed or opened out so as to enable them to be more readily engaged by the teeth of the saw'cylinders l6 and 17 The hulls passing through the conduit 19, and practically free from cotton, are 0 discharged through the outlet end of the conduit 19 into the pipe 28, whence they are led to the dump. The hulls-passing thrhugh the recleaning system are discharged from the duct 46 and join the hulls passing through the conduit 19.

In the operation of the above described machine, practically all of the cotton escaping from the cleaningmachines and which would otherwise be lost, is reclaimed and thereafter recleaned. i

XVhilewe have shown the discharge pipe 14 as taking the cotton from the recleaning machine back to the feed pipe 5, we believe we have made it clear that the recleaned cotton may not takethis course, but can be discharged atanother point, and either subsequently, by suction, passed through the main battery of cleaners, or in any other way, separately cleaned. i

o claim:

1. In apparatusof the class described. in combination with a cotton cleaning machine. a cotton reclaiming machine having a con tinuous passage thcrethrough, pneumatic means for withdrawing hulls and escaped cotton particles from the discharge of the cotton cleaning machine andicontinuousiv propelling them through the paisage of said reclaiming machine, a rotatable saw cylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and prc1ecting through a wall pf said passage into the path of the propelled bulls and cotton the saws arresting the movement of cotton while permitting the separation and free till passage of hulls past said saws, and means outside of said passage for recovering cotton withdrawn by said saw cylinder.

2. In apparatus of the class described, in conibin t" 11 with a cotton cleaning machine, a cotton reclaiming machine having a continue s pas "ge therethrough, pi'ieumatic means for we lidrawing hullsand' escaped cotton particles from the discharge of the cotton cleaning machine and continuously propelling them through the passage of said recia-in'iing machine, a rotatable saw cylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and pro through a Wall of s passage into the l of the propelled hulls and cotton the saws arre ting themoYc-ment of cotton while permit ng the separationand tree passage of hulls said saws, means for re- :o\'ering cotton Withdrawn by said saw cylinder, and niiesnsv outside of said passage for recleaning said co'ttoncobpcrating directly with said cotton recoverii'ig means.

111* apparatus of the class described, in combination with a cotton cleaning machine, a cotton reclaiming machine having a continuous passage therethrough, pneumatic means for Withdrawing hulls and escaped cotton particles from the discnarge of the cotton cleaning machine and propellingt-hen'r through the passage ot said reclain'iing ma chine, a rotatable saw cylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a \vall'of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton the saws arresting the movementof cotton while permitting the separation and ireepassage of hulls past said saws, and a dofi'er cylinder located outside of said passage for removing the cotton Withdrawn by said sawcylinder. i

4. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with a cotton cleaning machine, a cotton reclaiming machine having a con tinuous passage therethrough, pneumatic means for Withdrawing hulls and escaped cotton particles from the discharge of the cotton clcaningmacliine and propelling them through the passage of said reclaii'ning machine, a rotatable saw cylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a Wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton the saws arresting the movement oi cotton while permitting the separation and tree paw" hulls past said saws, means for rotating said saw cylinder in a direction opposite to that of the propelled products and means for recoveringcotton Withdrawn by said saw cylinder.

5. In apparatus of the class described, in

combination with a cotton cleaning machine,-

a cotton reclaiming machinejhaving a continuous passage therethrough, means tor Withdrawing hulls and escaped cotton particles from the discharge ofthe cot-ton cleaning machine and propelling them through the passage ofsaidi'eclamnng machlne, a rota able saw cylmdenmounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a" wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton the saws arresting-the movement of cotton While permitting the separation and free passage of hulls past-said saws, aw dofl'er cylinder havinglongitndinal blades thereon adapted to be rotated by" the cylinder in proximity to the surface of said saw cylinder and acting to remove cotton through on'efwall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, the opposite Wall of the passage being shaped to provide a portion extending substantially tangentially to the sawcylinder to act as a deflector, and beyond said tangential portion, being substantiallyconcentric tolthe surface ofthe sa W cylinderthe sa-Wsjarre'sting the movement of cotton While ermitting the separation and'free passage of ulls past said saws, and means forrecoveringcot-ton Withdrawn from inder. it

7. In apparatus of the class descri-bed, in combination with a' cotton cleaning machine, a cotton reclaiming machinehaying a continuous passage therethrough, means for withdrawing hulls and escaped cotton particles from the; disc'hai'geof' the cotton cleaning machine and'propelliiig them throughthe passage of said reclaiming machine, a plurality of rotatablesaw cylinders mounted at a distance trom each other insaid reclaiming machine and promoting through one wall of said passage into the path of the propelled h fllls and'cotton, the opposite Wall of the passage being shaped to provide section's extendi-ng substantiallytangentially to thesurface of the respective saw cylinders, and beyond said tangential portions, being; substantially concentric with the surface of the respective saw cylinders the sa'ws arresting the movement of cotton while permitting the separi tion and free passage of hulls past said saws,

and means for recovering cotton Withdrawn by saidsaw cylindersfrom said passage;

8. In apparatus ofthe class described, in

combination with a cotton cleaning machine,

a cotton reclaiming machine ha iug a consaid passage by the' saw cyllli tinuous passage therethrough, pneumatic means for withdrawing hulls and escaped cotton particles from the discharge of the cotton cleaning machineand propelling them through the passage of said reclaiming machine, a saw cylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through onewall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, means for rotating said saw cylinder in a direction opposite to that of the propelled products, deflecting means in said passage for directing the pro-, pelled products against the surface of the saw cylinder, the saws arresting the movement of cotton while permitting the separation and free passage of hulls past said saws and means for recovering cotton withdrawn by said saw cylinder from said passage. I Y

9. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with a cotton cleaning machine, a cotton reclaiming machine having a continuous passage therethrough, pneumatic means for-withdrawing bulls and escaped cotton particles from the'discharge of the cotton cleaning machine and propelling them through the passage of said reclaiming machine, a rotatable saw cylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through one wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, the extent of such projection being not more than onerhalf the periphery of the cylinder, the saws arrestingthemovement of cotton while permitting the separation and free passage of iulls past said saws and means for recovering cotton withdrawn from said said saw cylinder.

10. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with a cotton cleaning machine, a cotton reclaiming machine having a continuous passage therethrough, pneumatic means for withdrawing the hulls and escaped cotton particles from the discharge of the cotton cleaning machine and propelling them through the passage of said reclaiming machine, a plurality of saw cylinders mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, the opposite'wall of the passage being shaped to cause the hulls and cotton to be projected onto the surfaces of the saw cylinders in succession and to provide a free passage beyond each saw cylinder the saws arresting the movement of cotton while permitting the separation and free passage of hulls past said saws, and a dofl'er co-operating with the saw cyl inders for removing cotton therefrom.

11. In apparatus of the class described, in

passage by combination with a cotton cleaning machine,

a cotton reclaiming machine having a continuous passage therethrough, a fan casing having a fan therein, a pipe connecting the discharge of said fan casing with the entrance to said passage, a conduit leading from the discharge of said vcotton cleaning machine to the suction side of said fan casing, whereby cotton and hulls will be withdrawn from the cotton cleanin machine by said fan, engaged by the blades thereof, and propelled thereby and by the blast of air through said pipe into and through said continuous passage, a rotatable saw cylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, the saws arresting the movement of cotton while permitting the separation and free passage of hulls past said saws, and means for recovering cotton withdrawn b 1 said saw cylinder.

12. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with a cotton cleaning machine, a cotton reclaiming machine having a continuous passage theretlu'ough, means for withdrawing the hulls and escaped cotton particles from the discharge of the cotton clean ing machine and propelling them through the passage of said reclaiming machine, a plurality of saw cylinders mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting throu 'h a wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, the opposite wall of the passage being shaped to provide, in order, sections tangential to and concentric with the respective cylinders, whereby the propelled product will be forced to engage the surface of each saw cylinder in succession so that the cotton particles will be engaged by the saws and the hulls may freely bounce from and pass beyond said saw cylinders in the spaces provided by the concentric portions of said wall, and means for recovering the cotton withdrawn from said passage by said saw cylinders.

13. In apparatus of the class describcd,in combination with a cotton cleaning machine, a cotton reclaiming machine having a continuous passage therethrough, means for withdrawing hulls and escaped cotton particles from the dischar e of the cotton cleaning machine and propelling them through the passage of said reclaiming machine, a rotatable sawcylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, the saws arresting the movement of cotton while permittingthc separation and free passage of hulls past said saws, said passage being outwardly flared from the point of inlet thereto of the mixed hulls and cotton to a width substantially that of said saw cylinder, and means for recovering cot ton withdrawn by said saw cylinder.

14;. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with a cotton cleaning 'machine, a cotton reclain'iing machine haw ing a continuous passage theretln'ough, means. for withdrawing hulls and escaped cotton particles from the discharge of the cotton cleaning machine and propelling llu them through the assage of said reclaiming machine, a rotata le saw cylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, a doifer cylinder for removing the cotton withdrawn by said saw cylinder, recleaning mechanism for receiving the cotton from said dolfer cylinder, and means for passing hulls from said recleaning rmechanism into the outlet portion of said continuous passage.

15. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with a cotton cleaning machine, acotton reclaiming machine havinga continuous passage therethrough, means for withdrawing hulls and escaped cotton particles from the discharge of the cotton cleaning machine and propelling them through the passage of said reclaiming machine, a rotatable sawcylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, a doifer cylinder rotating in proximity to said saw cylinder outside of said passage, and recleaning mechanism positioned to receive the cotton thrown oil by said doffer and including a saw cylinder rotating in proximity to said doffer cylinder and adapted to have the cotton dofied therefrom by said dofi'er cylinder and discharged out of the machine.

16. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with a cotton cleaning machine, a cotton reclaiming machine having a contin uous passage therethrough,means for withdrawing hulls and escaped cotton particles from the discharge of the cotton cleaning machine and propelling them through the passage of said reclaiming machine, a pair of rotatable saw cylinders mounted at a distance from each other in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, a dofler cylinder rotating in proximity to said saw cylinders below said passage and adapted to dofi the cott0n t herefrom, and recleaning mechanism positioned to receive cotton thrown off by said dofli'er cylinder and including a saw cylinder lo cated in proximity to said dotier cylinder and adapted to have cotton dotted therefrom by said dotfer cylinder and discharged out of the machine.

17. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with a cotton cleaning machine, a cotton reclaiming machine having a continuous passage therethrough, means for withdrawing hulls and escaped cotton particles from the discharge of the cotton cleaning machine and propelling them through the passage of said reclaiming machine, a rotatable saw cylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a wall ot said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, a doffer cylinder for removing ,thecotton withdrawn by said saw cylinder, recleaning mechanism positioned :to receive :the cottonthrownoif by sa idzdoiiercylinder, a receptacle for receiving hull particles passing out of said recleaning mechanism, a duct leadingoutorf said receptacle to the outlet end of said continuous passage, a door yieldingly closingstheoutlet of said duct, and

means for continuously forcing the hulls from said receptacle through said duct, I whereby, by pressure or rtlle hulls, to open saidrdoorto permit the escape of .hullswhilc constantly maintaining a supply of hulls in :thecluot to prevent ingressof airrthereto.

18. A cotton recleaning machine comprising a casing affording a continuous passage through which mixedrcotton and hulls may be pneumaticallypropelled, a saw cylinder projecting through one wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls andlcotton, the saws arresting the movement of cotton while permitting the separation and free passage of hulls past said saws and adoiier cooperating with said saw cylinder outside of said passage.

19. A cotton recleaning machine comprising a casing affording a continuous passage through which mixed cotton and hulls may be pneumatically propelled, a plurality of saw cylinders projecting through one wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, cotton cleaning mechanism including a saw cylinder, and a dotfer rotating in proximity to the peripheries of all of the saw cylinders and operating to dofi' cotton from the first named saw cylinders and discharge it into the cleaning mechanism, and to dofi? the cotton from the saw cylinder of the latter mechanism and discharge it from the machine.

20. A cotton recleaning machine comprising a casing affording a continuous passage through which mixed cotton and hulls may be propelled, a pair of saw cylinders projecting in spaced relation through one wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, cotton recleaning mechanism including a saw cylinder, a clofler cylinder rotating in proximity to the surfaces of the three saw cylinders and operating to doil cotton from the first two saw cylinders and discharge it into the cleaning mechanism, and then to doll the cotton from thesaw cylinder of the latter and discharge it from the machine, and means for receiving hulls pass in from said cleaning mechanism and controllably discharging them into the outlet end ofsaid continuous passage.

21. A cotton recleaning machine comprising casing affording a continuous passage through which mixed cotton and hulls may be pneumatically propelled, a saw cylinder projecting through one wall of said passage to an extent not greater than one-half of the periphery of the cylinder the saws arresting Ill) the movement of cotton While permitting the separation and free passage of hulls past said saws, and a dolier co-operating with said saw cylinder outside of said passage.

22. A cotton reclaiming machine having a continuous passage therethrough, pneumatic means for propelling mixed cotton and hulls through said passage, a rotatable saw cylinderinounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a Wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, said saws arresting the movement of col:- ton While permitting the separation and free passage of hulls past said saws, the opposite wall of the passage being shaped to direct the propelled hulls and cotton onto the surface of said saw cylinder, and a doffer co-operating with said saw cylinder toremove therefrom cotton engaged by the teeth of the cylinder.

23. A cotton reclaiming machine having a continuous passage therethrough, pneumatic means for propelling mixed cotton and hulls through said passage, a rotatable saw cylinder mounted in said reclaiming machine and projecting through a wall of said passage into the path of the propelled hulls and cotton, said saws arresting the movement of cotton While permitting the separation and free passage of hulls past said saws, deflecting means in said passage for directing the propelled products against the surface of the saw cylinder, and means for recovering cotton withdrawn from said passage by said saw cylinder.

In testimony whereof, \\'e have hereunto set our hands.

JOHN E. Miner-nine. DENNIS PARKS. 

